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World leaders condemn Russia over millitary build-up in Crimea

Updated
March 03, 2014 19:00:00

The World's top economic powers have condemned Russia for its millitary actions in Crimea and its buildup of military might on the Ukraine border. The US, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Japan have withdrawn from the G8 summit in Sochi - the city that's just hosted the Winter Olympics.

MARK COLVIN: The world's top economic powers have condemned Russia for its military actions in Crimea and its build-up on the Ukraine border.

The US, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan have effectively turned the G8 back into the G7 by withdrawing from the group's summit in Sochi - the city that's just hosted the Winter Olympics.

Russia joined the G8 17 years ago.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and the UN (United Nations) are also stepping up pressure on Russia as tensions rise over its actions on the Crimean Peninsula.

Meanwhile the stand-off between pro and anti-Russian forces continues outside several military bases in Crimea.

David Mark reports.

DAVID MARK: Soldiers have surrounded a number of military bases throughout the Crimean Peninsula. They're believed to be Russian, but are wearing no military insignia to identify them.

It's the same story in the Crimean capital Simferopol. Armed men are on the street and the pro-Russian citizens are rallying to support them.

(Sound of chanting)

This woman welcomed the arrival of the Russians.

WOMAN (translation): Crimea's always been Russian. Sevastopol, the legendary Sevastopol, was always Russian and no-one gave it away.

DAVID MARK: But Crimea is divided - between those in favour of the Russians and those against.

WOMAN (translation): More than 40 per cent of the people here support my view, but they're too frightened to say this.

GENNADIY POTLAGAN (translation): I'm a Jewish doctor who speaks Russian and I want to live in an independent country and not in a Russian colony. To get involved in an independent country's business, which has so many nations, and to say that one nation is restricted and another is not is a lie. I'm here to prove that not only Ukrainians are here, but Jews, Moldovans, Bulgarians, Belorussians.

DAVID MARK: The prime minister of Ukraine's new government , Arseniy Yatsenyuk, says Russia has invaded his country.

ARESENIY YATSENYUK: President Putin wants to be the president who started the war between two neighbouring and friendly countries - between Ukraine and Russia. So he has reached this target with a few inches. We are on the brink of the disaster.

DAVID MARK: Crimea is home to Russia's key strategic naval base in Sevastopol, so the defection of the head of the Ukrainian Navy, Admiral Denis Berezovsky, came as a major blow to Ukraine's government.

DENIS BEREZOVSKY (translation): I Denis Berezovsky swear allegiance to the residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the heroic city of Sevastopol.

DAVID MARK: No sooner did he make that statement that Ukraine announced he would be tried for treason.

Victoria Syumar is the deputy secretary of National Security and Safety Council of Ukraine.

VICTORIA SYUMAR (translation): At the moment, according to the information we have, all the naval military forces answer to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and follow all their orders. General prosecutor of Ukraine has opened a criminal case against Mr Berezovsky according to the Article Three - high treason.

DAVID MARK: The stand-off has split the G8. The seven original Western nations have abandoned the most recent entrant to the group, Russia, and a planned G8 meeting in Sochi in June.

In a statement the group said:

"We, the leaders of Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States and the president of the European Council and president of the European Commission, join together today to condemn the Russian Federation's clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

World leaders are condemning Russia's military build-up in the Crimean Peninsula.

The secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon.

BAN KI-MOON: I appeal to president Putin to urgently engage in direct dialogue with the authorities in Kiev.

DAVID MARK: NATO's secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN: We condemn Russia's military escalation in Crimea. We express our grave concern regarding the authorisation by the Russian parliament of the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine.

We call upon Russia to de-escalate tensions. We call upon Russia to honour all its international commitments, to withdraw its forces to its bases, and to refrain from any interference elsewhere in Ukraine.